Teh Nonadimedjo
Teh Nonadimedjo is a brand of tea that originated in 1815 in Jogjakarta by nobleman Samar Mangkoenonadimedjo and his wife of humble origins, Radmilawati, though the more modern brand was created in 1935. The logo depicts a Javanese woman sitting daintily on a table, and the tea is known for its lavender flower essence (a modern addition in 1918), though historically it used the michelia flower (or known in Javanese as kantil). History For more details, please see Mangkoedimedjo Family. 1800-1820 Samar had inherited a few acres of hilly land in Jogjakarta from his late father, which were heavily planted with trees and foliage. The Dutch wanted this land to plant tea, but Samar only agreed if they allowed him to manage it. The local villagers were against it, as they said that spirits resided in the woods. Samar decided to cut the woods himself, only to provoke the anger of the spirits. He was said to have disappeared for three days and three nights. Upon his return, he had said that he had worked it out with the spirits, thus permission was given to use the land for tea planting. Having a keen sense of dealing with colonials and local powers, he became a mandor of the village that he lived in. One of the workers in the tea plantation, a young girl from Jepara named Radmilawati, caught the attention of Samar for her diligence. Samar then often consulted her about the plantation, mainly because of his affluent background and is unfamiliar with the ways of the working people. Radmilawati also provided him with suggestions in the brewing of the tea, which resulted in the characteristic blend of the original tea. They ended up getting married in 1815, and soon the ownership was passed onto their son, Djojosoebroto. 1820-1900 Djojo married Anantawirja Bhagawanta and had their first child, Soemadi Saptapadi, in 1837, followed by Doedarto Sardjiwo in 1840, and Soedakara Satriawaloejo in 1843. By the late 1860s, the three brothers had begun handling the business along with their father. By 1870, the reforms that came after the 1870 Liberal Policy enabled the family to take more control over the tea production. Soedakara, the youngest, was the one that ultimately continued the line and the family business. He married Soemartini Mangoenkoesoemo in 1868 and had one child, Wisnoe Mangkoenonadimedjo, the first member of the family to take on the clan name as an official name since his great-grandfather. He married Petronella Baart, daughter of traders, which boosted their business significantly with capital. They had three children; Soesoeloeh Mangkoenonadimedjo in 1884, Darma Mangkoenonadimedjo in 1886, and Sri Mangkoenonadimedjo in 1898. 1900-1999 By 1900, Wisnoe had full ownership of the company and the plantations. Unfortunately, a tragedy happened in 1905, when a local riot resulted in the complete destruction of the tea plantation and the factory. The family went through hard times during these years, but hope came when Wisnoe turned his investments into a few acres of land in Paterosari, Kuningan. In 1912, he built a house there as a holiday home for Europeans, and by 1916, a tea plantation was fully functional and operational in Paterosari. With the brewing secrets of his ancestors and his own mixture of lavender flowers coming from his wife's homeland, thus was born the eponymous and characteristic Nonadimedjo Tea in 1918, with March 1st as the brand's birthday. The family business peaked in 1925 due to the rise in the prices of commodities in the world, but things slowed down in 1929 with the onset of the Great Depression in the US. The style of packaging used until the present time was made in 1935, with a recent remodel. By the 1940s, all ties with Europeans in the company have been severed because of the political tumults, and since then, the brand of tea has mostly been distributed locally. When Soesoeloeh disappeared in 1941, the business was passed onto his younger brother Darma, who died in 1952. The company's ownership was momentarily passed onto his son Prabowo Mangkoedimedjo. He did not want it, however, so he sold it to a company that managed Paterosari. The tea's brand has since then belonged to the company. Image The use of the logo started in 1935, with the picture depicting a zaftig Dutch-Indonesian lady (meant to portray Petronella Baart). The logo was remodeled in 2018 for the company's 100th birthday. Category:Groups